Average Waves in Unprotected Waters

As Arnold has no dialogue in the story, readers get to know him exclusively through Bet’s point of view, with a brief cameo by Mrs. Puckett. In the first paragraph, Bet offers a paradoxical description of him. He refuses to open his mouth to eat, like a toddler. A “knobby child with great glassy eyes and her own fair hair,” he dresses “like any other nine-year-old,” but “his face [is] elderly – pinched, strained, tired” (32). Although the direct characterization here is quite detailed, the contradiction of the elements makes imagining Arnold difficult. Bet also notes that “he hardly ever [changes] his expression” (32), which paints a picture of a person who is challenging to read.

As Bet describes more of Arnold’s erratic behaviors like moaning, rocking, shaking, flapping his arms, and random running, readers start to become aware of his disability. Bet also offers that Arnold is small but strong and that he is “getting to be too much for her” (32). These details do not so much characterize a personality as they delineate a boy who needs constant care, cannot be left alone, and will soon overpower his caretaker. The combination of Arnold’s disability and physical strength makes him taxing, complicated, and, from Bet’s point of view, potentially dangerous.

Throughout the story, Bet often notes that Arnold seems blissfully unaware of the events that unfold, despite her initial observation that “he [can] tell something [is] up” (32). This is true on the journey to the hospital, during which Arnold does not understand where he is going. However, his last action in the story is to scream as Bet leaves his ward. Bet’s inability to understand her son makes her an unreliable narrator. While she laments earlier that he doesn’t appreciate what she does for him, his attempt to resist being abandoned shows that he loves and relies on his mother. His powerlessness in this situation–combined with the nurse’s indifference–highlights the poor treatment of people with mental disabilities during this era.

Tyler constrains Avery’s characterization to a few paragraphs in the middle of the story, one of Bet’s remembrances during the train ride, yet he is significant as one of Bet’s early tests of resilience.

Bet describes Avery as having an “ordinary, stocky body” later in their marriage (33). Accounting for some change over time, his allure is limited, which fits Bet’s initial expectations as she admits that “all she’d wanted was to get away from home” when she married him (33). This image of Avery aligns with the stereotype of the 1960s suburban husband: An average man with no outstanding qualities, who is committed to traditional gender role ideology.

Avery proves to be an unreliable coward as a husband. His refusal to interact with Arnold after they consult with the doctor exposes his insecurities about fatherhood. He is not prepared to raise a son with a disability. Instead of treating Bet as a partner and processing his self-doubt and confusing emotions with her, he leaves. Although traditionally, it was more acceptable for a husband/father to disconnect from the family than the wife/mother, Avery’s abrupt desertion also reflects the increasing approval of divorce in the 1970s. Avery’s moral character is questionable at best, as he knowingly leaves his wife with an undertaking that would be onerous for two people, let alone one.